Virginia deadlines loom as Election Day approaches

WASHINGTON – Voter registration deadlines are looming for Virginia residents who intend to vote in the November election.

The deadline to register to vote or to change current registration information, like an address, is Monday, Oct. 15 by 4:30 p.m.

Cameron Quinn, the general registrar for Fairfax County, says there could be about 200,000 Fairfax residents who won’t be able to vote or who could end up going to the wrong polling place because their voter registration is not up-to-date.

If Virginia residents haven’t gotten a new voter registration card in the mail in the last two or three weeks, Quinn says that’s a red flag.

“If they did not get that card and they think they are registered, then we don’t have a correct address for them,” she says. “That’s a good signal that they have a problem and they need to immediately call their registrar’s office.”

For those who need to turn in their voter registration either in person or by commercial delivery such as FedEx, the registrar’s office must have the paperwork in their hands by the deadline.

If people send in their voter registration through the U.S. Post Office, it must be postmarked by Oct. 15.

“If it is postmarked by Oct. 15, it doesn’t even matter if it doesn’t get delivered for another week,” Quinn says.

Although Virginia residents don’t need identification to register to vote, they do need identification in order to cast their vote, says Quinn.

Those who can vote via an absentee ballot have to apply by mail or in-person. But if they show up at their elections office, they can fill out the application there and then cast their vote.

Poll workers needed Quinn says they are looking for election officers in Fairfax County and other jurisdictions for Election Day.

“As long as you are a registered voter in Virginia, you can serve in any county within Virginia,” she says.

She says they are several hundred people short in Fairfax County. There is also a small stipend for those interested in serving.

“It certainly is not minimum wage,” Quinn says.

Anyone interested in helping should get in touch with their registrar’s office or go to the State Board of Elections’ website.

Registration information can be checked online at the Virginia State Board of Elections website or call the Fairfax County Office of Elections at 703-222-0776.

The Fairfax County Office of Elections is open on Saturday, Oct. 13, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday, Oct. 15 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is located at the government center in Suite 323 along Government Center Parkway in Fairfax.

Other Virginia residents can call the State Board of Elections at 800-552-9745 to obtain the phone number for their local registrar’s office.